The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-01-07
A Snake Geranium.
"A snake geranium?''

Z uOlu lut- uHuoE q spell.
To describe this flower one would
have to paint life and''''motion. Mere
color IS not enough. AS | looked the
evil thing glared at me with sinister
| intelligence. There was nothing re-
markable about the stock 'and'the leaves
OF the plant. The blossom was what
riveted my gaze. Black, sinuous and
Shiny, 1t looked more like:assnake than
anything else. As changed myEpoint
of view the thing changedi;its; aspect.
Its scales weie a ourplish black, then a
dirty brown. Two little-glassy beads
IN the monsters head glittered with
prismatic hues and looked straight into
my eyes. Was [ mistaken? l could
have sworn that this awesome bloom
turned and twisted with the uncanny
freakishness of a reptile.
"You know something of botany. -
SAID the doctor, "how do you classify
it?,
''It is not to be classified, [ answered
''It is mOnstrosity. There is nothing
like it. Is it poisonousY"
81 think So" was thereby, "the old
African who found it called it a 'pizen
plant, but renamed it,"
l had seen nearly every thing worth
seeing in the floral world, but this sin
gnlar plant blooming unnoticed in an
obscure corner of a country doctors
garden amazed me beyond expression.
From the first the sIckening odor of
the flower had been terribly oppressive.
IL fact, it had prevented a close exam.
ination. Suddenly my brain seemed be-
numed, a cold chill seized me, and,
with a face of deadly pallor. I Teeled
and would have fallen to the ground
but for the doctors strong arm.
was half sick. or rather in a dazed,
half stupefed state, for days after my
return to town. One evening a negro
called at my house with a note from my
friend, the doctor, and covered basket.
The messenger was gone before 1 could
read the note. L glanced at the paper
and then opened the basket. l did not
know whether to laugh or be angry.
Comfortably fixed in big jar, the snake
geranium gave firty twist and snap
ped its wicked ewes In my face.
To have this floral horror in my
house was out of the question. and yet
1 was proud of the monster. 1 made a
servant carry it to a sunny nook IA the
back yard. She seturned with chatter
ing. teeth.
"Dt. lawd hab missy - ste exclaimed, g,
dat Jing'5 alive. Hit'll bite shO'3 yer
bawn -
did not contradict her. In fact 1
agreed with her.
Sometimes l carried my friends 20 see
my pet. 1 invariably had the satisfac-
tion of hearing them swear, and geBer-
ally had to send them home in a car
riage. One Whit of the snake gerani-
um was enough to make a tottering
wreck of the strongest man.
A little girl next door took a wonder
ful fancy to the flower. Frequently she
came over when I was absent and spent
an hour at a time fOndling the plant
and looking at it. o! all the persons
who saw it she was the only one not
affected by its peculiar odor. Sometimes
got into a deep study over the mutual
attachment existing between the mon
ster and the girl 1 call it mutual be
cause 1T was impossible to view my
snake gersnium without giving it credit
for life and intelligence. The girl was
a queer little creature, with mid night
hair and velvety eyes. She had a GER
tain impish beauty that made me shud-
der. Between the girl and the gerani-
um came near being deYiled to death.
As the weeks passed Oh the girl con-
tinued her visits. She grew thinner
and raler, and her eyes grew paler and
blacker. More than once 1 overheard
the servants whispering that the snake
gerauium was killing the child. This
alarmed me, and one day l told my
young neighbor that the plant was poi
sonous and she must not go near it. She
rather shrank from me and with a SOL
rowfui look sped homeward without
saying word.
I came home Unexpectedly one day,
and found the girl paying surreptious
visit to the flower. l went ID her full
of wrath, but was disarmed by what 1
saw. The poor thing bad tainted, and
wriggling and squirming over the side
of the jar, within few inches of the
child's face, was that diabollcal geran-
| ium
[ took my visitor home and told her
mother all about it, We spoke with
some severity to the little offender, but
we thought it was for her good. L never
once thought of destroying my monster.
No words can express the horror felt
the next morning when 1 heard that my
girl neIghbor was dead. She. had been
found lifeless and cold in bed at an early
hour. Her appearance, was told, was
that of person who had been poisoned.
/ On the pillow was a Shiny mark that
resembled a serpent's trail.
When 1 heard this [ rushed frantic
ally out to tue corner containing my
geranium. One of the servants OWNED
my purpose and followed me. In the
jar we saw the stalk of the plant with a
few leaves attached to it, but the hor-
rible blossom, where was itP
The snake geranium was gone L
could not utter word. had 10 Inqul-
ries to make. and 1 wanted 10 bear no